Should
Non-Citizens Be Allowed to Vote?From Gotham Gazette
In the early 1900s, citizenship was not a requirement
to cast the ballot. Some immigrant advocates and politicians
are trying to restore the tradition.

* * * * * *

People
On The StreetFrom Gotham Gazette What do some New Yorkers think about immigrant
voting rights?

* * * * * *

What
Do You Think?From Gotham Gazette
Cast your vote on our online poll as to whether non-citizens
should have the right to vote in New York elections.

Yes
No
Not Sure

or
many immigrants, Labor Day simply means another work day --
and so does Primary Day.

Mistreatment of immigrant laborers is common; one immigrant
domestic worker recently detailed how she was "treated
like a slave"(New
York Daily News). Hundreds of immigrant workers recently
testified before human rights groups at Hunter College that
worker's compensation claims for those injured and killed
on the job are routinely denied or delayed(Newsday).
Increased scrutiny has led to hundreds of immigrant workers
getting fired (Crain's New York Business).

Not many new immigrants are anywhere near the voting booth;
they are not citizens and therefore are barred from voting
in New York on September 10th, primary day. But that might
change. There is a movement(Gotham Gazette) to push for legislation allowing non-citizens
to vote in New York elections.

But what looms largest in the minds of New Yorkers this month
is the anniversary of September 11th(Gotham Gazette). The attack and the aftermath continue
to affect immigrants in special ways. Immigration policy seems
to change each week. Beginning September 11, visitors from
some Muslim countries will be fingerprinted and required to
report to the immigration agency. This is the first phase
of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System that
will track"virtually all" of the 35 million foreign
nationals who visit the United States (Agence
France-Presse). While no one knows what's next for
the Immigration and Naturalization Service, its commissioner,
James Ziglar, announced his retirement after intense criticism.(Associated
Press). Meanwhile a federal appeals court ruled in
late August that the press and public must be allowed to witness
immigration hearings for suspects detained in the Sept. 11
investigation (Washington
Post).

In this September edition of the Citizen, we also have stories
of Arabs and Jews sitting down and talking to each other,
the French coming together in Brooklyn, Koreans wondering
if their community will disappear, a schedule of the many
parades this month ... and much more.

On the one-year anniversary of September 11th, we look
back at the stories that the Citizen has translated
from the ethnic press, and those that we have written
ourselves, that deal with the way that immigrants have
experienced September 11th.

From Irish EchoAn Irish American chaplain at Ground Zero asked that the
piece of steel debris that resembles a Christian cross be
kept as part of the final World Trade Center memorial.

A
Call For UnityFrom Korea Times"If Koreans cannot rely on each other, the Korean community
will get smaller and weaker and eventually disappear in America,"
says the author of this editorial, recalling of the good old
days in the Korean immigrant community.

Le
Brooklyn With the arrival of many French restaurants
and expatriates, Smith Street in Brooklyn is transforming
itself into Little France. Also an interview about this recent
phenomenon with Bette Stoltz , executive director of the South
Brooklyn Local Development Corporation.

Every
Penny CountsFrom Nowy DziennikWhile many Poles consider it shameful to shop at 99 cent
stores and go there only to pick up garbage bags, others shop
there for groceries and cosmetics almost every day.

Legal
ScamsFrom World JournalThe Department of Consumer Affairs called on consumers
to be extra cautious in selecting immigration legal services
after firms in Chinatown turned out to be scam operations.

Arab
Israeli Dialogue In BrooklynFrom Gotham GazetteThe Middle East usually leaves Jews and Arabs divided.
Brooklyn's Dialogue Project is bringing them back together.

No
More New York PostFrom The Arab Voice
Arab and Muslim merchants have refused to sell the New York
Post because the paper, they said, publishes biased articles
against Muslims and Arabs.

Immigrant
Labor ForceFrom Gotham Gazette
Immigrant laborers share their working experience and explain
what keeps them here in New York City.

School
Bus Drivers From Hoy
Nine school bus drivers and bus aides, all women, were suddenly
fired by Third Ave. Transit, for supposedly refusing to
work in the summer.

Massage
OnlyFrom World JournalCharges of prostitution and the lack of a licensing
process leaves Chinese qigong therapists in a tight spot.

Violence
In FlushingA Chinese woman was hit with a roller skate after
failing to hold an elevator door for a neighbor, and a Chinese
man was arrested in a manner that had 200 onlookers complaining
of police brutality.

Ethnic
Parades And FestivalsFrom Gotham Gazette
September is the busiest month for New Yorkers to celebrate
their heritage. A schedule of the best-known parades and
festivals this month, and highlights from the rest of the
year.

Indian
Pride At New York ParadeFrom India TribuneIn a show of ethnic Indian American pride and the rich
cultural heritage of Indias diverse population, thousands
thronged the 22nd Annual India Day Parade.

Can't
Wait To WedFrom Ruskaya ReklamaA man wants to marry his girlfriend but she is here
on a tourist visa. What should he do? An advice columnist
in a Russian newspaper explains all.

We call this section The Citizen
because all New Yorkers are citizens of the city, whatever their
federal immigration status. We thus restore the word "citizen"
to its root in the word "city."

This website is brought to you by
Citizens Union Foundation and is made possible by grants
from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Independence Community
Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Rockefeller
Foundation, the New York Times Foundation and visitors
like you.